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Monday, 23 June 2014

Drawstring Beach Skirt

I wanted something quick and simple for a friend who lives at the Ocean and spends a lot of time on the beach.

I thought maybe a swimsuit cover up skirt would be good, and so the idea was born.

This skirt is versatile and adaptable.

The one I made, with a drawstring waist, fits from 24” waist up to 40” waist and 40” hips
I made the Length 14” – about mid-thigh, just right for covering up a swimsuit, but the pattern is completely adaptable to any length; you can make it as long or as short as you wish.

An incredibly simple skirt to make, and it works up very quickly indeed.

You can use any worsted weight yarn. I used Stylecraft Special Aran, in Denim colour. It would be lovely in Cotton for the Summer, although I personally prefer Acrylic as it has such a nice drape.

Drawstring Swimsuit
Cover-up Skirt

Fits from 24” waist
up to 38” waist and 40” hips

Length 14” –
completely adaptable to any length

You will need 1-2
skeins Worsted Weight (aran/10ply) yarn, depending on how long you wish the
skirt to be. I used 1.5 skeins for 14”
length.

5mm crochet hook for
the skirt, 7mm hook for the drawstring

A Yarn needle for
sewing up ends

A few beads for
prettiness J

Abbreviations:

Dc – double crochet

Sc = single crochet

Ch = chain

Pattern is written in US terms; a conversion chart is included at the end.

Pattern:

With 5mm hook, work a double crochet
foundation chain of 90 sts. If you do not know how to work a foundation
chain, you can simply chain 90 and work a row of double crochet over it.

90 Stitches
gives a good base that, with a drawstring, fits from a very small waist up to
40”. The hip sizing for this garment is
up to 40”. If your hips are larger,
simply add stitches to the base chain.

When
you measure for the beginning chain, be sure to measure by hip size as this
will be the widest part. There is no
requirement for a particular multiple of chain.

Row One:
Join the chain/foundation row with a slip stitch into a circle, being
careful not to twist it. Ch 3, dc in
next stitch and every stitch around. Sl
st to beg dc.

Rows Two to Four:
Work 3 more row of double crochet to complete the waistband. Again, this pattern is quite adaptable, and
if you want a taller waistband, dc more rows accordingly.

Row Five:
ch 1. Sc into same stitch as ch
1, *2 sc in next, sc in next*, all the way around. The exact number of stitches is not
important, just that you increase every other stitch. Sl st to beg sc.

Row Six:
Chain 5 or 6, depending on how large you want your mesh holes. I worked 5 chain. Skip 3 sts (watch out for
those increases from the last row, they are easy to miss). Sc into the 4th stitch. *Chain 5, skip 3, sc into next*, rep from *
to * around. There is no need to sl st
at the end of the row, as you can simply carry on into the beginning 5 chain
loop, and work around and around to the desired length, then sl st at the
centre back of the hemline at the end.

Continue in the mesh
pattern (5 chain, sc in next loop) until you reach your desired length. I made the skirt 14” long which comes to the
middle of the thigh, which I think is perfect for wearing as a simple swimsuit
cover on the beach. Feel free to make it
as long or as short as you wish!

Drawstring:

Once you have done the main body of the
skirt, tidy up your ends, mark the centre front with a stitch marker and then
you need to cut a very long piece of yarn to make a braid.

You need around 12 – 15 yards of yarn, which
you will then fold into three strands.
With the yarn folded together in 3, and leaving about 6 or 7 inches of a
tail at the start, using the 7mm hook, make
a long chain. Leave about 6 or 7 inches
free at the end.

Thread the drawstring
through the centre of the waistband, every 2 or 3 dc, bringing it back out at
the centre front, and tie a bow.

Beading:

Now find yourself a few pretty beads to match
the skirt. Thread these onto the ends of
the chain, and tie a knot into the end to keep the beads in place.